Elttsh-taitk valve



C. T. MILLER.

FLUSH TANK VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9. 1919.

1,319,785. Patented Oct. 28,1919;

THE cud man PLnmuRAim (1b., WASHINGTON. m-C.

CHARLES T. MILLER, 0F MACON, GEORGIA.

FLUSH-TANK VALVE.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Application me a April 9, 1919. Serial No. 288,692.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES T. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Macon, in the county of Bibb and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flush-Tank Valves, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a discharge valve for flush tanks, and its general object is to provide a discharge valve which shall be positively held open during the flushing operation until the tank is empty, and in this connection to provide means shiftable by the pressure of outpouring water into a po sition beneath the discharge valve so as to positively hold it open until all the water has been discharged.

A further object is to provide a con struction of this character embodying a vertically slidable valve, a shield surrounding the major portion of the valve seat to prevent the inlet of water at these parts, and a swinging detent which will not impede the free, upward movement of the valve to permit the tank to be flushed'but will, when the valve is open, be swung inward beneath the valve by the pressure of the outflowing water until this pressure is reduced to an amount which will permit the detent to be swung outward and the valve to close.

A further object is to provide a valve of this character which is supported by a bracket and clamp, which may be readily put in place upon the stand pipe or overflow pipe of a flush tank, and readily re moved therefrom, thus permitting this flush valve to be substituted for other flush valves without the necessity of removing the valve.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which can be used in small tanks to do away with the heavy goose neck siphon lift, inasmuch as these are hard to keep in good repair and also hard to lift.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a valve constructed in accordance with my invention showing the valve in its closed position; i

Fig. 2 is a like view to Fig. 1, but showing t e valve in s pened Position; V

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the detent and a portion of the bracket therefor; and v Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section on the line H of Fig. 2.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates the bottom of a flush tank of any suitable construction and having extending through its bottom a discharge pipe 11 held in place by the washer 12 and the lock nut 13. This discharge pipe is illustrated as extending a certain distance above the bottom of the tank and is then formed to provide a seat 14. At its upper end, this discharge pipe 11 connects with the lower end of an overflow pipe 15. All of these parts are of any usual or suitable construction and form no part of my present invention.

My device consists of a bracket 16 which is provided with a clamp 17 embracing the overflow pipe 15 and held in place thereon by a set screw or by a clamping bolt. The particular construction of this clamp is immaterial. The bracket 16 is formed with an upwardly extending arm 17 and with a horizontally extending arm 18 which is laterally prolonged to a point somewhat beyond the edge of the valve seat 14. Slidingly mounted within the arms 17 and 18 of the bracket is the valve rod 19 which carries at its lowerend the valve 20 seating on the valve seat 14 when the valve is lowered. The upper end of this valve rod 19 is adapted to be connected to any suitable operating means, not shown, as, for instance, a pull chain or an operating lever. Attached to the bracket 16 and depending therefrom is a semi-circular shield 21 which is made of thin metal partially surrounding the projecting upper end of the discharge pipe 11, the lower edge of the shield beneath the bracket resting upon the laterally extending portion 11 of the discharge pipe which connects to the overflow pipe. Swingingly mounted upon the extremity of the prolonged'arm 18 is a detent'22 which, as illustrated in Fig. 3 is somewhat elliptical in form and curved in the arc of a circle longitudinally.

Normally this detent will swing to the po- Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

sition shown in Fig. 1 so that it will be disthe dfitfil t would not impede the movement of the valve, as the detent would simply swing outward.

Now in the operation of this device, if the valve be lifted to flush the tank, then the water rushing out through the discharge pipe 11 and beneath the detent will swing this detent inward to the position shown in Fig. 2 so that it will be disposed beneath the valve so that the shank of the detent will engage the valve and hold it raised just so long as the water pressure keeps this detent swung inward. As soon, however, as the pressure is reduced below a certain point, the detent will swing outward and the valve will drop of its own weight. It requires but a relatively small pressure to hold this detent inward beneath the valve to support the same so that with my device the tank will be practically emptied before the detent will swing outward and permit the valve to drop.

-While I do not wish to be limited to details of construction, 1 preferably form the bracket 16 adjustable so that the valve stem 19 may be centered with relation to the discharge pipe, but the manner in which this adjustable bracket is formed has no part in my present invention. While I may form the valve 20 in any desired manner, I preferably form the valve as illustrated in Fig. l, of a washer of leather or other suitable material, designated a, held between a plate 6 011 the lift rod or valve stem 19, and a plate 0 on the'lower end of the valve stem, this plate in turn being held in place by a nut. This construction permits the easy removal of an old washer and replacement by a new washer whenever desired.

It will be obvious, indeed, that many changes might be made in the mounting of the valve stem 17, the construction of the valve 20, and in the construction and arrangement of other details, the construction illustrated in the drawings being merely one embodiment of the principle of my invention.

The use of this device eliminates the use of the refilling tube that is ordinarily at tached to the supply valve and passes up and into the upper end of the overflow pipe, as with this construction, when the bulk of the water has passed out of the tank and the closet bowl siphons, the flushed water still flows in a stream from, the tank to the bowl, but not sufiieiently to cause the bowl to siphon, and thus takes care of the refilling of the bowl without the necessity of using a refilling pipe from the supply pipe. It will be obvious that this attachment may be readily placed in position in any tank and adjusted to suit the circumstances of any tank because of the adjustability of the bracket, both as regards the centering of the valve 20 and the vertical disposition of the valve.

The whole attachment may be easily removed from the tank when it is desired to repair or replace the valve 20. Many of the tanks of this character use a ball valve and with this attachment it is easy to remove the ball valve and replace it with my improved valve with but a minimum of trouble. lVhere a refilling pipe is used, there is liability of trouble as, for instance, if a refilling tube becomes broken off, as it often does, then when the tank is refilling, this opening allows the water from the refilling opening to leak outside of the tank.

I claim v 1. The combination with a discharge pipe and a vertical member disposed adjacent thereto, of a bracket mounted on the vertical member for vertical adjustment, a vertically movable valve carried by said bracket and, seating against the end of the discharge pipe, a shield carried by the bracket and extending'partly around the discharge pipe and partly surrounding the valve, and a detent pivotally mounted upon the extremity of the bracket and adapted to swing into the opening of said shield and beneath the valve by the pressure of water against the detent when the valve is opened, but swinging to an inoperative position when the pressure is reduced.

2. The combination with a discharge pipe, of av valve mounted above the discharge pipe for vertical movement and seating upon a movement toward the discharge pipe, a shield extending upward from the discharge pipe and partly embracing the valve, a detent coacting with the valve and disposed opposite the opening in the shield and comprising an arcuate plate, an arm extending angularly to the detent, and a member disposed above the opening in the shield and to which the extremity of the arm is pivoted, the detent being adapted to be swung inward under the action of water passing between the valve and discharge pipe but swinging outward to an inoperative position on a reduction of water pressure, the arm bearing against the under side of the valve when the detent is swung inward by water pressure to thereby hold the valve raised.

3. In a flush tank, the combination with a discharge pipe, and an overflow pipe extending upward parallel to the discharge pipe, of a bracket adjustably mounted upon the overflow pipe and extending over the discharge pipe, a valve .coacting with the discharge pipe and having a stem slidably mounted in the bracket, a shield carried by and depending from the bracket and adapted to partially surround the upper end of the discharge pipe and partially surround the valve, and a detent carried upon the extremity of the bracket opposite the opening in the shield and being'laterally elongated whereby when the valve is opened, the pressure of water on the detent will cause it to swing inward to a depending position beneath the valve.

4. A valve supporting attachment of the character described comprising a supporting bracket having means at one end whereby it may be engaged with a support, a valve having a stem slidably supported in the bracket, the bracket being extended over the valve to a point adjacent the periphery thereof, and a detent swingingly mounted upon the bracket and adapted to be swung inward beneath the valve by a pressure of water beneath the valve to thereby hold the valve in a raised position until the pressure of water is reduced, said detent comprising a relatively wide web and an angular arm pivotally connected to the bracket and extending from said web, the angular arm, when the web is swung inward by the force of water, engaging beneath the valve.

5. A- valve supporting attachment of the character described comprising a support- .ing bracket, a valve having a stem slidably supported in the bracket, the bracket being extended over the valve toa point adjacent the periphery thereof, a detent swingingly mounted upon the bracket opposite the opening in the shield and adapted to be swung inward beneath the valve by a pressure of water beneath the valve to thereby hold the valve in a raised position until the pressure of water is reduced, said detent comprising an arcuate web, and an arm extending at an angle from the web and pivoted to the extremity of the bracket.

6. A valve attachment of the character described comprising a bracket formed with a clamp adapted to be adjustably engaged with an overflow pipe, a valve disposed below the bracket and having a valve stem a lift rod, the bracket being extended beyond the valve, an arcuate shield carried by the bracket and depending therefrom and within which the valve moves, and a detent for yieldably holding the valve open when the latter is raised comprising an arcuate, relatively wide web, and an angular arm pivotally connected to the extremity of the bracket, the detent being disposed opposite the opening in the valve.

7. The combination with a discharge pipe and a vertical member disposed adjacent thereto, of a bracket mounted on the vertical member, said bracket being vertically adjustable thereon and formed in twoportions having an adjustment upon each other, a

.vertically movable valve carried by the bracket and seating against the end of the 'dischargepi'pe, a shield extending partly around the discharge pipe and partly surrounding the valve, and a detent pivotally mounted upon the extremity of the bracket and adapted to swing into the opening of said shield and beneath the valve by the pressure of water against the detent when the valve is opened but swinging to an inoperative position when the pressure is reduced.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES T. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

slidingly engaged in the bracket and having 

